Container closure



A ril 23, 1968 E. F. ANDERSEN CONTAINER CLOSURE Original Filed Sept. 22, 1965 mvcmon: BY ELI FRANK ANDERSEN ATTYS.

United States Patent 3,379,326 CONTAINER CLOSURE Eli Frank Andersen, Devon, Pa., assignor to The West Company, Phoenixville, Pa., 'a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application Sept. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 489,184, new Patent No. 3,358,865, dated Dec. 19, 1967. Divided and this application Apr. 12, 1967, Ser. No. 650,146

2 Claims. (Cl. 215-38) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A truly tamper-proof container closure for closing the opening in a container and particularly adapted to hold a stopper in place in a pharmaceutical bottle or the like comprising a cup-like cap with an annular top portion and a skirt depending from the outer peripheral edge of the annular portion, an annular disc overlying the top portion and a button projecting upwardly through the opening in the top and connected to the annular disc by fracturable bridge means. The button is adapted for removal at the bridge connections to expose the stopper to permit the contents of the container to be withdrawn by a hypodermic needle.

This is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 489,184, filed Sept. 22, 1965 now Patent Number 3,358,- 865, for Container Closure and Method of Making Same.

This invention relates to improvements in tamper-proof container closures and to a new and improved simplified method for making the same.

Container closures of the type to which the present invention relates are particularly adapted for use on pharmaceutical containers or bottles. At present, closures for certain types of pharmaceutical bottles have a piercible closure member in the form of a disc or stopper made of rubber or like material and a metallic cap to hold the stopper in place. The metallic caps generally include an inner central removal disc portion detachably secured to an outer annular top portion of the cap by fracturable bridge means. In this type of closure, the user removes the central disc portion by inserting a fingernail beneath the disc to pry it upwardly thereby fracturing the bridge connections and exposing the stopper for piercing by a hypodermic syringe to withdraw the contents of the container. This type of closure in addition to being comparatively expensive to make, presents several disadvantages in use. For example, removal of the disc in the normal use requires both hands of the user, one to support the bottle and one to grip the disc adjacent the bridge connections. The proximity of the hand to the bridge presents the possibility of injury on the rough sharp edges of the fractured bridges created on removal of the disc. Additionally, in some instances during assembly of the caps on the bottles, the connecting bridges have been broken in tumbling about due to the instability of the disc and the tendency to tilt or be tilted out of the plane at the top whereby the edge of one cap is caught or twisted under an upturned edge of another resulting in premature breaking of the disc.

In another prior type of container closure, a cover member which overlies the top and disc of the cap is provided which has a depending central portion engaging under the edge of an opening in the disc member. Even though this type of container closure is effective for the purposes intended, it has been found that special equipment is required to assemble the cover to the cap and that the overall method of assembling the elements of the container closure is somewhat expensive.

Patented Apr. 23, 1968 With the foregoing in mind, an object of the present invention is to provide a so-called tamper-proof cap and cover for pharmaceutical containers or bottles which is extremely simplified in construction and which lends itself to a one-hand removal operation, and wherein there are no sharp or jagged edges which present a risk of injury to the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved simplified method of making a tamper-proof closure in a highly economical manner.

One form of container closure in accordance with the present invention comprises an outer cap having an annular top portion with a central opening, a disc member disposed between the top portion of the cap and the stop per and a button secured by fracturable bridge means to the disc and projecting through the opening in the cap. This assembly is extremely economical to make. Moreover, in order to withdraw the contents of the container by means of a syringe, the user merely supports the bottle in one hand and tilts the button with the thumb of the hand whereby the button is severed from the disc at the fracturable bridge connections to expose the stopper through the opening in the top portion of the cap. By this construction, the top portion of the cap overlies the fractured bridges thereby minimizing the possibility of injury to the user.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention and the various details of the construction and arrangement thereof are hereinafter more fully set forth and described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary Side elevational view of an embodiment of container closure in accordance with the present invention secured in position on a bottle;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing the button being removed to expose the central portion of the stopper;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the cap and disc element;

There is shown in FIGS. 14 inclusive an embodiment of tamper-proof container closure in accordance with the present invention. As illustrated, the container closure generally designated by the numeral is applied to a container or bottle of conventional form, a portion of which is shown in FIG. 1. As in the previously described embodiment, the stopper 154 which may be made of rubber or like material and has a hollow plug portion 156 adapted to fit in the neck 158 of the bottle, is held in place by the container closure. The stopper has a peripheral flange 160 which seats against the lip 162 of the bottle and a central thin wall portion 164 which may be pierced for example by the needle of a hypodermic syringe to gain access to the contents of the bottle.

The container closure includes a cap of generally cup-like form preferably made of sheet material such as aluminum, the cap having an annular top portion 174 and 21 depending generally cylindrical skirt or side wall 176 which is adapted to be crimped or spun to provide an inwardly extending rim 178 at its lower terminal edge which engages a shoulder on the neck of the bottle to securely hold the cap in place.

The container closure further includes an annular disclike member 180 disposed between the top portion of the cap and the top face of the stopper and a centrally located button 182 connected to the disc member 180 by means of fracturable bridges 184. As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the button 182 projects upwardly through the central opening in the cap and the top portion of the cap overlies the bridges 184 to minimize the risk of injury on jagged edges when the button is removed.

This container closure is assembled to a bottle by placing the disc member interiorly of the cap and then positioning the cap assembly over the stopper after which the lower terminal edge of the cap is crimped under the shoulder 178 to hold the cap in place. Now when it is desired to use the contents of the container, the bottle is merely gripped in one hand of the user and then the button is simply removed by engaging it as shown in FIG. 3. By this action the fracturable bridges are broken to expose the central portion of the stopper to permit it to be pierced by a hypodermic syringe. It is noted that the removal of the button is an extremely simple operation and that any sharp edges produced on removal of the button are remote from the hand of the user to minimize the hazard of injury to the user. Furthermore this cap is truly tamper-proof since the button, once removed, cannot be replacedand accordingly, the user has insurance that the contents of the container have not been contaminated.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein, it is, of course, to be understood that changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a tamper-proof container closure for pharmaceutical bottles or the like adapted to hold a stopper in place in the neck of the bottle, a cap of cup-like form having an annular top portion and a skirt depending from the outer peripheral edge of the annular portion, said annular portion terminating in an inner edge defining an opening in the cap, an annular disc underlying the top portion and a button projecting upwardly through the opening in the top portion and connected at one end to said annular disc by fracturable bridge means, said button adapted for removal at the bridge connections to expose the stopper'to permit the contents of the container to be withdrawn.

2. In combination with a bottle and a stopper adapted to fit within the neck of the bottle, a tamper-proof closure comprising a cap adapted to hold the stopper in place, said cap being of cup-like form and comprising an annular top portion and a skirt depending from the outer peripheral edge of the annular portion, said annular portion terminating in an inner edge defining an opening in the cap, an annular disc underlying the top portion and a button projecting upwardly through the opening in the top portion and connected at one end to said annular disc by fracturable bridge means, said button adapted for removal at the bridge connections to expose the stopper to permit the contents of the container to be withdrawn.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner. 

